Forevernads is a lifestyle blog based on the experiences of a former small-town girl now chasing dreams like air in the city of gold.

Dream, breathe, live

It was an early hour, it was cold and as my heart skipped several beats I have somewhat forgotten how to breathe. Those who know me well might think I’m dramatically describing my start to any given day (mornings and winter are two of my least favorite things) but actually, it’s an attempt to briefly explain a moment where I think, for just a second, I physically experienced probably one of the most abstract “feelings” in human life: freedom.

This episode occurred at the US Embassy as I left the building – awkwardly trying to figure out which way to go, obviously looking like I’m absent-minded and slightly lost but mostly overwhelmed… My mind could not process anything other than the fact that my Visa has been approved. This was the last tick on a checklist that, once complete, would be the start of my very first journey abroad. After years of dreaming, a moment of deciding, months of planning and a ridiculous amount of hours spent in a state of pure procrastination I could finally say, “I am going to America!”

Being an independent woman means that I’ve been free to make decisions and live my life the way I want for quite some time, but the comfort zone was suffocating me in such a sneaky, subconscious way that I even adapted to fit into this little bubble I called “my life”. It’s as if I trained myself to breathe less as to settle for however little oxygen was available.

Dreaming it is pointless if you’ll never be doing it.

Why decide to live this dream NOW? I wouldn’t say I’ve reached a ceiling in any aspect of my life. There’s ample opportunity for growth – professionally, personally and in relationships. The way I see it, you don’t always have to reach a ceiling before you can extend with another room. Actually, this is exactly what I’m doing (which I have just realised mid-type): By pursuing this dream I am not climbing, I’m growing. I’m pausing the life that I know and I’m taking a gap year, a breather, to tap into a life that I don’t know. It’s a change, a challenge, but most importantly it’s an opportunity to grow. And if that’s the closest I’ll ever get to freedom, I’ll take it!

Do you sometimes feel stuck in the ordinary, knowing that there’s this dream you never pursued? A dream that died because you never made it come alive? We have been given authority to pursue all that this world has to offer – why say no to such a wonderful favour?